Experimenting with Hue/Sat control

[Antsl]

Has anyone experimented with the Hue/Saturation control in PhotoShop for converting images to black and white?

I know this may sound like a dumb question but I have just been converting a colour image down to black and white using the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and noticed that if you click on the Edit: Master selector at the top of the dialouge box you can then select any of the six prime colours and adjust them as well.

I think the trick might be to fully desaturate the image using the Master control and then select another colour (ie-Red) and move the Lightness control left or right to see the variations in the tonal range of the image. Having adjusted this then make adjustments to the other colours etc until you are happy with way the image looks.

I have the feeling this might be a more interesting way of converting black and white images then using the channel mixer and other similar techniques! I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Cheers, Ants

[beetleboy]

I've always used a double-layer technique similar to what you're talking about. You can essentially do it with any of the adjustment layers; basically all you do is make sure you have a Hue/Sat adjustment layer on the top with the Saturation slider all the way down. You can then use a Selective Colour/Curves/Levels/Hue Sat etc layer sandwiched between your image and the desaturation layer and mess around to your heart's content!

I've heard arguments for which is best but at the end of the day, use what works for you. I don't think I have a particularly fantastic eye for B&W conversion so I use Hue/Sat cos I can really ramp things up and down and have some fun with it!